Hash mark (sports)
This article needs additional citations for verification. (July 2007) |
In sports, a hash mark or hash line is a short line/
Usage in ice hockey
In ice hockey, the hash marks are two pairs of parallel lines on either side of the face-off circles in both ends of the rink. Players must remain on their team's side of the hash mark nearest their own goal during a face-off until the puck hits the ice.
Usage in gridiron football
In American football and Canadian football, the hash marks are two rows of lines near the middle of the field that are parallel to the side lines. These small lines (4 in [10 cm] wide by 2 ft [61 cm] long) are used to mark the 1-yard sections between each of the 5-yard lines, which go from sideline to sideline. All plays start with the ball on or between the hash marks. That is, if the ball is downed in between a hash mark and the nearest sideline, it must be placed on that hash mark for the next play.
Prior to the adoption of hash marks (which were first utilized at the
The hashmarks in that indoor 1932 playoff game were originally 30 feet (9.1 m) from the sideline, and that width was adopted by the NFL for the 1933 season. It was increased to 45 feet (14 m) from the sideline (70 ft [21 m] apart) in 1935, 60 feet (18 m) from the sideline (40 ft [12 m] apart) in 1945, and to the current 70 feet 9 inches (21.56 m) from the sideline (18+1⁄2 ft [5.6 m] apart) in 1972.[1]
In most forms of professional football in the U.S., including the
The Canadian standard for amateur play is 51 feet (16 m) in width, 24 yards from each sideline. The Canadian Football League formerly used this spacing, but narrowed the hash mark spacing to 9 yards (8.2 m) in 2022.[5] A Canadian football field width is 65 yards (195 ft; 59 m), 35 feet (11 m) wider than in the American game.[6]
See also
References
- ^ "Owners give offense big seven-yard boost". Rome News-Tribune. Georgia. Associated Press. March 24, 1972. p. 6A.
- ^ "High On The Hash". Sports Illustrated. August 28, 1972.
{{cite magazine}}
: Unknown parameter|agency=
ignored (help) - ^ Chaptman, Dennis (March 26, 1993). "Moving hash marks should open offenses". Milwaukee Journal. p. C2.
- ^ Clark, Bob (September 2, 1993). "New rules to keep coaches on toes". Eugene Register-Guard. Oregon. p. 9F.
- ^ "CFL moving hashmarks closer to center of field". news.yahoo.com. 27 April 2022. Retrieved 2022-05-24.
- ^ "CFL Official Playing Rules 2011" (PDF). Canadian Football League. pp. 8, 12. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 May 2012. Retrieved 5 August 2013.
The field shall be 110 yards long by 65 yards wide [...] Twenty-four yards in from each sideline each 5-yard stripe shall be marked by a short cross stripe parallel to the sidelines (Hash Marks).